Apr 3, 2008 11:52 pm US/Eastern
NYPD Thwarts Massive Counterfeit Goods Ring
Sneakers, Handbags Among 100,000 Items Seized
Total Haul Estimated At $4.5 Million
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The NYPD said it confiscated nearly 50,000 pairs of imitation Nike sneakers during a counterfeit goods bust on April 3 in Queens.
CBS
The NYPD seized tens of thousands of shoes, clothes and handbags on Thursday. The multi-million dollar counterfeit goods bust came just days before the items were expected to hit the streets.
Designer fakes are hot sellers on the streets, but the seized counterfeit items and thousands more won't wind up in the hands of any bargain hunters because police got to them first. Police say they have confiscated 50,000 pairs of knockoff Nike sneakers and as many as 40,000 handbags found in a mother lode of counterfeit merchandise at a Queens warehouse.
The dingy, dusty warehouse in Flushing is a world away from the fancy shops where you'll find real Chanel, Fendi and Coach. Stacked in those boxes were bags, shoes and clothing that police say were headed for small shops and sidewalk tables. Now the estimated 100,000 individual pieces are on the move in eight tractor trailers with police escorts.
Police say the phony goods likely are from China and have a street value of $4.5 million. Police told CBS 2 HD if the items were the "real things" the value would climb to $16 million.
There have been no arrests in connection with the Thursday raid.
Along with the sneakers and bags, authorities say they found 5,000 pieces of clothing bearing fake labels for popular brands. Designer fakes are a big business with links to organized crime and the exploitation of children.
Police would not reveal where they got the tip that led them to all the counterfeit goods, but detectives recently raided 30 small shops in an area of Chinatown police know as the counterfeit triangle.
Some of the people questioned in that case may have spilled the distribution secrets.
As the rest of the loot rolls out in those tractor trailers, the investigation also rolls on to find whoever it was who put the merchandise in the warehouse.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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